Open heart surgeries have been performed at the KHMH Since 2012 Thanks to the instalment of its Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.
The facility was upgraded in 2022, to cater to the most rigorous and challenging Cardio-thoracic cases, and this morning we spoke to its 70th cardiac surgery patient.
Caryl Meighan is a grateful man who says that KHMH delivered topper service from his diagnosis through to his surgery and recovery. Jomarie Lanza has this story.
Surrounded by the warmth and love of his family, moments before he was wheeled away into the operating theater. Caryl Meighan would then put his life into the hands of cardiac surgeons at the KHMH. That team responsible for making medical miracles happen, is also behind why this man with a ticking heart is sitting at home recovering today.
Caryl Meighan, Heart Surgery Patient
"I found out that I had issues with my heart and I was diagnosed in November of last year by Dr Lin at Medical associates."
"I knew I had an enlarged heart, high blood pressure basically, but by November I was having shortness of breath and issues coming up my stairs, some weeks good and some weeks bad and I was concerned about it so that's why I went into see Dr Lin to get you know an opinion on it."
"After my first visit Dr Lin saw my records and did some cat scans and whatever he had to do and he then told Me that I need to do a surgery and either repair the valve or replace and they won't know uno they do further studies and then they would figure out how much damage is done or if it's repairable and if not then you have to do a replacement of the valve."
The Diagnosis has been a chilling deja vu moment for the Meighan family. His brother, Ronald died a year ago to receiving the same procedure- except his was in the US.
So, of course there was some reluctance in following through with the same open heart surgery - and to do so in Belize, but that changed when Meighan met another patient who survived and is alive and well today.
Caryl Meighan, Heart Surgery Patient
"From when I was diagnosed and Dr Lin came up and said this is the information and I think you need to do a surgery he had no knowledge that my brother had passed a year ago it was just me and my woman Debbie who was beside me and I think one of my daughters. So we were amongst ourselves like "he has to do the same surgery?" And we told him we would get back to him and we left and discussed it with the family and everybody was like taken a back like hmm are you sure? And you know so well he recommended me to Dr Coye at KHMH. So at first I didn't make any decisions right away I actually made two visits to Dr Coye and kind of tried to get information on the surgery and understand that oh yes they did some surgery and I think for me the turning point was when Dr Coye directed me to a lady Ms Trapp and they told me see that lady she did the surgery a year ago. And then I spoke to the lady. I saw her moving up and down like a 16 year old and I said what! I spoke with her a few minutes and then I said to myself if you can do it I can and I think that was really the turning point and I put all the fears behind me I came home and I told everybody this experience I had with this lady and she is living right now and is a few years older than me and I think I'm going to do this."
After three attempts to go through with the surgery, third was indeed the charm and it took 7 hours to complete the procedure until Meighan was out and into the ICU on the road to recovery.
Caryl Meighan, Heart Surgery Patient
"So far so good my scars are healing but I still feel a lot of pain on the inside so the scars are you know they are healing up and I think they are healing in good time because I had my first visit to Dr Coye and he said he likes how I am progressing so the recovery is right on schedule. So I want to use this opportunity to big up KHMH as an institution and I think people need to speak more positively about them they really have a good team over there especially the cardiac theme the ICU wow admission to discharge they were all courteous and professional."
Meighan is the 70th open heart surgery patient of Dr Coye's, the latest patient was a 17 year old girl. Dr Coye attributes his work not only to his years of experience and studies, but also the incredible support staff within the Cardiac unit and at the ICU. He discussed Meighan's case:
Dr Adrian Coye, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, KHMH
"Mr Caryl is a very nice gentleman who has not an uncommon problem called mitral valve insufficiency. His was severe which was one of the indications for heart surgery as he was also symptomatic but he carried with him a number of comorbidities that hopefully I don't know if I have the right to speak freely about that part, but the co morbidities were significant to make him a challenge as to one doing the surgery and two the recovery."
"Mr Caryl's experience is the same experience that almost all our heart surgery patients can say about having heart surgery at Karl Heusner. We have an excellent programme and it's the reason why we continue to have such a strong partnership with the Heineman Robichek foundation and the support of physicians who they want to come and participate and doing something which is having a national impact so this program has a very long and slow journey but it will mature into as we have an umbrella activity called the advanced cardiac care, but it will evolve where we have our own stand alone unit and that's just the natural history of what's happening here but again if we can be doing heart surgery here from 2012 there's nothing else really there is very little to imagine as to what we cannot be doing here."
The possibilities are endless - and the trust of the patient is a crucial part of that. Meighan continues to be a living testimony of that partnership in healing.
Caryl Meighan, Heart Surgery Patient
"From the point of admission to the point of discharge, I felt confident. The staff at KHMH were so courteous, they actually walked me through it. Actually I spent most of my time in the intensive care unit and I think kudos to them that's the unit that is top notch I actually felt like I was receiving personalized service because whenever a shift changed you have your nurse to your side and then you just take it through so the intensive care unit was where u spent most of my time recovering and they did a wonderful job."
The always politically savvy Meighan thanked Anthony Mahler, Bernard Wagner and Michael Finnegan for their support. His healing process is expected to take three months.
